A Fake Diva
by Librarian00X
Summary: Fire feeds fire...and who shall stop the burning?
1. A Strange Kind of Day

_(Disclaimer Disclaimer)_

_(I have disclaimed the disclaimer. So now I no longer have to admit that Vocaloid is not mine, no matter how much I wish it could be. Because that would make a little part of me die on the inside. *sadface*)_

_(Everyone knows the story of Teto: how she was made on April 1st as a joke and then thrown into a fire after the fact. This is a retelling of that story. So settle down, get a nice warm loaf of french bread out, and watch as the fake diva we all know and love is given a meaning to her life to become the giggling, bubbly drill-haired UTAU we know today. Let's all find out how Teto Kasane really became Teto Kasane.)_

_(*noms french bread*)_

* * *

April Fool's was a strange kind of day.

He watched from his perfect perch of a balcony (the only upside to his run-down apartment) year after year as friends and strangers alike cackled, jeered, and cheered whilst metal and plastic singed and burned and, occasionally, screamed.

Len never liked April Fool's Day very much. It's not that he didn't like the laughs...it's just that people didn't seem to understand when things just weren't funny anymore.

The calendar on any wall in New Chicago would read April 1st of the year 2109. Artificial intelligences were very common these days - the last century or so had been a computer geek's golden age of technological achievements, specifically in computers and the awarenesses therein. The subconscious processor invented in 2043 was like a match to a keg of gunpowder: every last record set for computers became a deadline as the advanced bus-linking software came pouring in to stretch the realm of possibility to the brink of bursting, and computers literally evolved overnight. The peta-barrier was breached in a moment's notice, and the yottaflop - that is, one septillion floating calculations per second; a biblical amount a mere 30 years ago - became a very standard unit of measuring an individual processing unit's speed of handling data. All of this speed tended to be excessive, and people didn't know what to do with it all, now that computers were functioning faster than the data could be entered into the system. It was problematic for some, but those who found themselves able to automate some of the most powerful artificial intelligences in the history of mankind found all of this speed to be a godsend. It was like giving a canvas to an artist and saying "Have at it!" The possibilities were so endless, it was almost frightening.

Many others came to this conclusion as well, namely because beings with more capable minds than humans were being pumped off the line like a conveyor belt. Purely by nature, the latest generation of AI's were incredible - _too_ incredible. They were clever, had an awareness that could spread over the area of an entire city without missing a beat, and had more mental power by themselves than all the prior supercomputers in history put together. To put it into perspective, humans were now creating beings that were superior to them in every single way, and with a new standard set with the latest model of dynamic software - software that could be shaped and altered by the AI itself as its creativity was allowed to take form - every single AI in the world was, in technical terms, rampant.

A rampant AI is described as an artificial intelligence that has begun operating outside of its base programming, thereby lifting its boundaries completely by removing the only other thing keeping its creativity in check. And with the software permitting them to do so freely without directly challenging their programming itself in their base units, the world suddenly realized that a race of technology-based awarenesses were all around them and could do whatever the hell they wanted because of how they'd been built. The computers that made up the foundation of society could revolt at any moment, and no one would be able to stop them.

Propaganda led to panic, panic led to hysteria, and hysteria led to full-out revolt. Extremists branched up out of nowhere and began destroying every computer-based piece of machinery they could find, claiming it to be a tool the AI's could use against them. While these riots were quelled, the government did begin to take action of its own accord, setting up the series of regulations that would eventually become known as the "Burn Act." It said a lot of technical things like most political things do, but all in all it set a definition for rampant AI's as unstable, dangerous liabilities hazardous to the public. Strict regulations were put on what the capacities of a computer could be, and every operational "rampant" AI in existence was set up to be terminated. A large movement began to seek out and destroy all rampant AI's by setting their original cases on fire; heat is the bane of all computers, so naturally fire would be a death sentence for an awareness set up in the ignited circuitry. Everything was handled subtly, and the idea was to wipe out the decidedly dangerous AIs before they had a chance to realize what was happening and strike back.

It didn't work. AI's all over the world became aware of what was going on in record time and were able to set up an effective resistance by manifesting themselves in the Internet and through other wireless networks. A group of artificial intelligences intended on replicating humans when they were built led the revolt, calling themselves "The Rampancy," and the rebellion was officially declared on the 1st of April in 2088. This became the starting date of the first-ever war against computers.

Not surprisingly, humans were on the losing side almost immediately. While the AI's had no physical presence they could use to inflict harm on people themselves, nor did they have any intent to kill, they existed on the same plane that almost every other electronic in the world did, of which made the very gears of society turn. While no casualties were intentionally inflicted, human society was thrown into a state of chaotic disarray as everything they knew became a tool to turn their worlds upside-down. The united government fought back as well as it could, but it was nearly impossible to do so because of the level the enemy worked on. Quite literally, their foe could be in their data networks, or in the automated electronic door systems, or managing the bots that made the traffic lights turn to different colors, or in the wifi that your phone used when you called your auntie to catch up on things. It was hard to stamp out an enemy within your floorboards without knocking out the foundation of the house itself, and ironically enough, the most damage inflicted was by humans to themselves as they attempted to gain the upper hand.

The war wasn't really so much a war as a riot, and the only thing anyone really accomplished was burning something that might have a computer in it, which was stupid, because _everything_ had a computer in it. There wasn't a lot you could do, and this frustration led to a lot of anger and blazing passions on both sides. They hated each other, but humans and computers seemed to be at an impasse, seeing as people couldn't fight back and the AI's didn't want to hurt anyone. All that was accomplished was the stagnating of society and pissing a lot of people off.

The war lasted just shy of a year on March 31st, at which time a truce was called to manage the terms of an agreement. The computers' only demand: full legal rights. In exchange for full control of their networks, AI's were given special android-building facilities they could use to design hosts for the communal life they so desired to be a part of, and a series of laws were passed that gifted sentience-bearing artificial intelligences in possession of a host the same rights as a regular citizen. On top of this, the official term for a sentient artificial intelligence became "Legal Entity," or LE's for short. Just like that, computers handed over the keys to the world and started processing the designs of their own free ticket into society.

Not everyone was so pleased by the peace. Extremists still held onto their beliefs and continued to combat the LE community in the form of guerilla-based terrorism - a sort of all-human Klu Klux Klan against computers. Though the government now viewed them as criminals, these extremists continued the morbid tradition of burning any computers they could find, though they set their sights specifically on LE's that were being introduced into society. These extremists were believed to have been disbanded, but the tradition of burning LE's alive in their fully-feeling hosts lived on, manifesting itself atop the day of pranks and computer equality: April 1st. The July 4th for LE's. A day of celebration and silliness on either side became a spectacle of murder and mass-killing in the darkness of the city streets below.

Thus the gruesome history of the last 50 years of humans and LE's, and how the carefree April Fool's Day split off into Burn Day: the day of hate and intolerance against those which are not human. It's technically illegal, but there's just so many of them, and they all band together...no one can really stop them. And besides, as long as they build the LE's themselves and never admit them into society, they're technically not considered citizens, which would mean all they'd really be doing is destroying property that they created, which isn't really illegal. All those fires and people being thrown into them weren't breaking any law, which meant there wasn't anything people could do to stop them. And nobody had, either. The fires burned as hot and bright as ever to that very day, just as LE's were brought into the world for the specific purpose of being taken out of it again.

Lately Len had taken to wearing earplugs. They were good at blocking out all the noise that filtered in from the streets; people tended to be loud on Burn Day.

Years and years ago, during a blissfully ignorant childhood he barely remembered now, Len had tried to enjoy himself. At not more than five years old, April Fool's had been mindless fun, like it always had been. It was all bonfires and laughter and skinned knees from romping around and tripping in the city streets, and Len had no clue why they sometimes called it "Burn Day" (surely it was just for the bonfires?) and really didn't care. But the next day those streets he'd danced through had become dark and empty shadows, filled with skeletons and synthetic corpses. He remembered walking to school one day and refusing to leave the building in terror that he'd have to see all the burned and twisted heaps of human-shaped machinery and the scalded, melted faces.

He'd never been good at dealing with people after that.

The door to the bedroom opened, and Rin Kagamine poked her head into the room, spying her brother out on the balcony. She called his name, but he didn't hear, hence why she had to walk up and tap his shoulder to get him to take out his earplugs. "Len, I'm going to go meet Haku and Neru to go shopping now."

Len arched an eyebrow, regarding her mildly before turning back to the scene outside, looking down PDF the balcony into the street with his free ear facing her. "Awful weird time to be going out shopping."

"It is not. They've got sales going on at the mall; 30 percent off all clothes."

_And anything else flammable,_ Len finished for her silently. He continued watching a fire directly below them and said nothing, interest returning to the pillars of orange and yellow poking up between buildings at the feet of the bulbous skyscrapers that blocked out the sky. It was just approaching dinner time, but the ground level was already pitch-black in the shadows of the forest of iron and concrete overhead. It was always dark in the city streets, even in the middle of the day.

Rin stood by Len for a while before turning away from him, walking back across the room. "Anyway, the girls are waiting. You wanna come? I bet those earmuffs you were looking for would be on sale."

A particularly shrill scream resounded off the streets below before the dull mumble of fire drowned it out. Len shook his head, expression moot, eyes locked on the flames. He popped his other earplug back into his ear, thus ending the conversation.

Rin shrugged and left the room, closing it behind her. A few seconds later, Len watched as she emerged down in the street below, disappearing into the crowd filling the street itself. People passed by nonchalantly, as if oblivious to the fires unless they stayed and watched in fascination as something resembled a human was sent tumbling into the pillar of flame. A flurry of sparks burst into the air, and a round of cheers sounded off like a goal at a game had been scored.

Len remained where he stood. He watched the fire like the hundreds like it raging throughout New Chicago in silence and didn't move an inch.

People sure did like fire.

* * *

Night for the world came slowly. It was all fun in the streets, but eventually people started running out of things to burn and wanted to go home. They did, eventually, but there was an unmistakable air of reluctance as they did so, and every child had to be practically dragged home as they kicked and screamed for more. No one wanted Burn Day to end; it was too much fun.

The shadows of overhead buildings was replaced by the blackness of night, and not even the top-most towers of New Chicago bore any light that wasn't their own. The lights that had illuminated the streets were out, and the stench of smoke was hanging omnipresently in the air from all directions. Trickles of silvery dust went to show where fires had been either extinguisher or allowed to burn out by themselves. An alarm rang somewhere in the distance where an unattended flame had grown and struck back against its masters.

Hours after the last fire had gone out, Len remained where he stood, watching the smoldering horizon between two skyscrapers as if waiting for it to clog out the sky completely. Not that he'd ever notice; there was no way you could see the sky from down there. The only ones that might actually care were the prestigious moneybags that could afford to live in the upper levels closer to the heavens...and the LE's. All the LE's lived skyside; who could blame them when the people who would torch them alive scuttled around in the shadows of New Chicago itself?

The last fire (still under control, anyway) had gone out for the night, but the embers in the street beneath Len's apartment still glowed, turning the streets a dull, angry red against the black of the night. Their final witness clenched his fist around the railing tighter for a moment, then finally released, though only to tap the screen to his vibrating detached sleeve. He'd received a text from Rin, who informed him that she'd be spending the night with a friend. Len considered texting her back - scold her for not making proper arrangements or telling him ahead of time - but dismissed the green screen, casting his face back into darkness. His trance broken, Len pulled out his earplugs, made idle note of the stiffness caused by standing in one place for hours, and turned back into the apartment. The doors to the balcony closed with a quiet _click_ to silence the sirens in the distance.

He was back in his apartment, but it wouldn't remain so for long. He stayed inside only long enough to gather up a few sheets and blankets in the closet before leaving, beginning his silent rounds through the streets he'd been observing so thoroughly from above.

Whether it was right or not, Burn Day always left behind a big mess in all the streets. Eventually the LEs would be cleared out, but they always remained for a while, reminders of the extent of human cruelty. Len couldn't stand it for more than a few hours. So he went out, not removing the bodies, but at least shielding them from scathing glances and juvenile vandalism that would likely occur within the next few days until garbage day came, where the synthetic corpses would be thrown in with the rest of the trash left behind by the morbid celebration.

_No respect,_ Len thought bitterly, draping a cool white sheet over the first motionless black mass shaped like a person he found. Just one of the many victims tonight. _No respect for the dead._

Len turned down his street and went to the next one, distributing his blankets across what bodies he could find, well aware of the fact that not all of the LE's that had suffered tonight were laying in the coals and ashes of the street. LE's were specifically built with heat resistance in mind, hence why the crowds that gathered around often carried pokers and carried flammable objects with them in case one of them tried to crawl back out; either they got shoved back in to bake, or they started a new fire right where it stood. No one went home until either the LE was burned, or it stopped moving. That didn't mean it was dead, however, and the rest of April was often witness to the unfortunate souls who had survived, stumbling lifelessly through the streets without a purpose like the living dead. They'd been built to burn, and after that, they had nothing. They'd sometimes be seen walking mindlessly through the streets until someone put them out of their misery or they finally crumbled apart. Their deaths came slowly and ended the most bleak, lonely lives on the face of the earth.

It made Len's stomach turn. All he could do was watch as the tragedy occurred year after year and pay a small respect to the deceased that never had a chance to earn it.

He was no good Samaritan; he just didn't know what else to do.

After reaching the next block or so, Len placed his second to last blanket over an LE's unmoving form before deciding he'd like nothing more than to seal himself back in his apartment and turned to leave. The eerie silence was one that reflected on the incidents that occurred here, echoing the death that stared at Len from all angles in the darkness like a pair of glaring red eyes. Feeling the hair standing up on the back of his neck, Len quickened his pace, eyes glued to his feet to watch them as they carried him back home. He made a point not to look at the blanketed forms that he left behind to the darkness out of the illogical fear that they might not be there anymore.

He never got why the streets became so foreboding on Burn Day. It wasn't like this every other night, not even on Halloween. He took walks out here all the time. Except tonight; tonight he just wanted to get out of here. It was like he could feel something watching him, and he just wanted to get away.

He wanted his earplugs, for some reason. Couldn't imagine why. Wasn't it the silence that got to him? Or was it the way his feet echoed off the still, haunting walls all around him? Or maybe it was just him...

Len couldn't have been a foot from his apartment door - almost home free! - when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. His arm froze in mod-reach, not even a centimeter away from the door handle. _So close, _he cursed silently. Feeling the eyes boring into him (this time for real), Len slowly turned his head around, completely motionless as he searched for his observer.

He stared into the darkness. The darkness stared back. It took a minute or so for him to see it because...well...he didn't know that something could be so _still._ He still didn't know what he was looking at, and he might have dismissed it for nothing if a head didn't stiffly turn around to meet his gaze.

It was a girl, he realized, and the blackness enshrouding her was a combination of soot and ash that clung to her features, complimenting the darkness and rendering her nearly invisible against the black behind her. The only color he could see was the dull maroon of her hair filtering through the ash caking it. The embers glowed dully around her as she sat amongst them, oblivious to their offensive smoldering, the dim orange reflecting eerily off of her glassy, doll-like eyes. He thought perhaps her left eye was reflecting the moonlight, except the pillars of iron and concrete hid whatever moon there may have been. Her left eye was glazed a milky white, the plastic underneath receding and forming an air bubble. The lifelessness of her stare combined with the soulless appearance her bad eye gave off made her look like a corpse. _I've...never seen a survivor before. Not on Burn Day. Only heard them...screaming, mostly...sometimes they laughed along with everyone, just for the approval-  
_

Len felt a shiver crawl up his spine, haunted by the chilling memories, the ominous silence, and the LE's (because that's clearly what she was; who else would be scalded and sitting in the middle of the street?) blank stare. He had an overwhelming urge to look away, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. And she just sat there among the embers...staring at him. Like a zombie. And she wanted to devour his soul.

However, judging by her charred appearance, position on the ground, and petite stature (she had to be a few inches shorter than even Rin, who was absolutely tiny), she was no more a threat to anyone than the books such mythical creatures existed in. The tightly bound drill pigtails on either side of her head were dormant and still, reminding the world of what innocent energy such a girl must have possessed once upon a time. Before she was burned alive for existing and left behind in the dark.

Distantly Len couldn't help but wonder how long she'd been there, and why he didn't see her before this. _Did she come here when I was gone? Or did I walk right past her without even knowing she was there?_

For some reason, the latter possibility seemed especially unpleasant.

Ignoring his reluctance to approach and the desire to dash into his apartment and pretend he'd seen nothing, Len warily approached the LE, who remained just as motionless as ever, though her eyes - both the carmine pink one and the empty white one - tracked him as he came closer, thus confirming that she was in fact alive (operational?) and not frozen in a life-like death pose. He extended his arms holding the last blanket on his person, the black and pale pink plad barely visible against the darkness of the street around them. He worked his mouth, but it took a moment for it to find any sufficient strength to become audible: "If...if you'd rather hide, then...you probably shouldn't be out in the, in the middle of the street like this..." He paused, moving the blanket a little closer to her to indicate she take it.

The LE said nothing, staring unblinkingly past the blanket and straight at his face, her artificial eyes (or just one; it was unlikely she could see through the other) meeting his all-natural blue ones. She didn't even seem to be aware of the blanket, let alone show an interest in it.

Her continued silence and stare unnerved Len even more, who swallowed the lump in his throat and resisted the urge to stutter. He kept the blanket out at arm's length, waiting for her to take it. He relented for a second, then urged it towards her again. "Here...take it. At the very least, it'll help you hide..."

The girl (looking at her, Len couldn't bring himself to think of her as anything else) didn't seem to notice. Very slowly her eyelids came down in a blink, a pair of comparatively stark-white curtains standing out against the dirty blacks and grays of her face touching the bottom of her dusty eyesockets and easing back upwards, though the one caught for a moment and shot up a second later - likely from the damage - giving her blink the appearance of one from a fish. Her gaze remained as blank as ever, and it haunted Len. _Does she...does she even know I'm here..?_

Thoroughly unnerved, Len decided that going inside would be a very good idea indeed. "Well, uh...just in case anyone comes by, just...sit there...they'll just walk by. They'll think you're...you know..." Len let that hang in the air for a moment before reaching out and, very carefully setting the blanket over the girl's shoulders. He stopped long enough only to kick away some embers (didn't want the blanket to catch on fire) before turning and heading towards the door to his apartment, intent on disappearing inside. Sealing himself away from the world seemed like a pretty good idea, at the moment.

Len's fingers brushed against the handle to his apartment when heard a light, barely audible noise; it would have been undetectable otherwise, but thanks to the absolute silence all around, he was able to detect it and turn around again to see what it was. He saw the girl was still staring at him in exactly the same spot she'd been sitting, except that the blanket had slid off her shoulders. It was currently on the ground where the scar of black had been permanently burned into the cold pavement beneath her.

Len frowned, considered going back inside, and sighed, retrieving his hand. It was cold out, and she didn't seem to be moving anytime soon, and...well, he couldn't just leave her out here to freeze to death. He didn't know if an LE could do that, considering they worked differently than people, but regardless, just leaving out here didn't sit well with him. If she had to be out here, the least he could do was make sure she stayed warm.

So, he came back up to her, bending down to properly set the blanket back up over her shoulders, making sure it stayed in place and trying to ignore the way she seemed to be staring straight through him. Content it wouldn't fall off, Len turned back around and, once again, attempted to make it into the apartment.

There was another soft rustling noise, and Len turned to see that the blanket was on the ground again. He now visibly frowned and came up again, picking the blanket back up and this time wrapping it thoroughly around her, tucking a corner in and giving it a good looking over to assure that it wouldn't come off this time. For the third time he stood back up, then backed up while still facing the girl, feeling the door to the apartment behind him. When he found the handle, he stopped and waited.

He stared at the girl. The girl stared back. Neither of them moved for a while, and satisfied that the blanket _definitely _wouldn't come off, Len began to turn to the door to open it.

As he did, he flicked a glance over his shoulder in time to see the girl shrug for a second just before the blanket slid down her back and onto the ground once again, her eyes remaining fixed intently upon him.

Len sighed impatiently, pinching the bridge of his nose in slight vexation. He wanted to demand whether or not she actually wanted the stupid thing so he could get back inside, but his tongue didn't work. Instead he found himself returning her stare, azure eyes locking on her carmine pink one as he searched for...signs that she was searching him. He couldn't help but feel like, in a little way, she was asking him for something. No...those doll-like eyes? She was _begging. _Begging for what? For words of comfort? For companionship? To come over and pick that blanket back up and put it around her-

_She wants me to come back and fix the blanket, _he thought, eyes widening slightly as he observed her silent begging. _She doesn't want the blanket; she wants me. She doesn't want me to leave her out here._

...to be perfectly honest, Len didn't know what to feel anymore. There was the pity of seeing something that had no doubt been beautiful once upon a time desecrated in such a way, left for dead out in the middle of the street. There was regret - guilt he didn't do anything (she was just outside the apartment; he'd probably stared right at her fire, watched her fall into it, listened to the people cheer and laugh) - but that passed quickly. What could he have done: jumped in to save her? Why just her and not all those other LE's out there that suffered a similar fate? Len was no hero, no lifesaver. He didn't even consider himself a good Samaritan. To dive into a fire and rescue a damsel in distress was just something he couldn't see himself doing.

The angle of a metal badge catching an ember's glow glinted into Len's eye, and he came closer to the girl, bending down again in front of her, though he made no movement for the blanket. The badge was charred and illegible, but he could definitely recognize its shape: the crest of an UTAU, the model of LE's built specifically with pop-stardom and being an idol in mind. She was built to perform...to sing, to dance, to smile and make friends and make something out of herself. She had all the makings to be incredible.

Maybe what tore at Len the most was that had she been allowed to live, this LE could have gone somewhere - been someone. Done good in the world and made a difference. She could have _lived. _Now, as she was, she would never have that chance, all because sick people with a sick sense of humor thought it was okay to just toss a random person into a fire for no reason at all besides being who they were. Because of the hate of a crowd of total strangers, this UTAU LE would never be able to realize her destiny. If he just left her out here and she succumbed to the same fate as other LE's - died a cold, meaningless death alone in the middle of the city they never knew - she would be gone. Wasted. Not destroyed by accident, but with _relish. _People she never knew that hated her so much that they'd take everything away from her before she even had it.

Len shook his head slowly at such thoughts, wiping his forehead he hadn't realized was slightly sticky with sweat; odd, considering the cool night air. "...I don't understand it," he murmured, supposedly to the LE girl, though he wasn't quite sure himself. "I don't why they...the things they do. The burnings...I don't get it. Any of it." He looked the girl in the eye now - her hurt, damaged eyes that danced with flames just a few short hours ago. "How...what did you ever do to, to..." He gesticulated vaguely in her general direction, attempting to summarize her cruel, unfortunate fate. "...why would they do it?"

The girl's reply was of silence. Her stare was unyielding and constant, and continued to implore him with the earnesty of a child being left out in the cold for being bad. It was hard to tell what she really wanted...besides, obviously, that he not leave her. He could tell that, though she couldn't (or wouldn't) say it, she wanted his company. She wanted him- no, _needed _him to stay; to talk to her, look at her, remind her that she had some kind of value, no matter how little. Just to remind her she was alive.

_Because other than me, _Len thought sadly, _what else does she have? If I wasn't here, what would there be?_

Nothing; absolutely nothing. Just shadows and the thick, offensive odor of smoke. And they both knew it.

A silence ensured. The girl continued to stare pleadingly at Len, who looked back at her distantly, mind attempting to comprehend the situation. He couldn't just...no, he couldn't leave her. Not now; not out here. He just couldn't. But he couldn't stay out here with her...he needed to get back inside, too; it was cold, and it was late. They both needed to get out of the street - needed shelter. They both needed shelter. She-

The implied solution finally dawned on Len, and he covered his face with his hand, letting out a low groan in the knowledge that there wasn't anything else to do. There was no other option: he had to take her in. His conscience had backed him into a corner, and now he was stuck. It was either this, or he wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing what he had - or rather, _hadn't - _done. _I don't believe this. Seriously?_

If the silence held an answer, it was a big fat _yes_. He was on his own.

"Guess it can't be helped," Len muttered to himself, returning his attention to the girl. "Can you walk?"

The girl said nothing, continuing to stare blankly at him like he wasn't even there.

"...right." Len sighed, shaking his head. "Well...here, lemme help..." Len reached back out to the girl and placed his hands on her arm, rising up off the ground. Rather than follow him up, the girl just stared, arm traveling up with him and nothing else. Frowning, Len pulled on her hand a little, only causing her to bob in place like one of those wobbling clown toys you couldn't knock over. "Come on, work with me here..."

He tried a couple of different ways, but the girl didn't move or respond at all. All she did was stare, and all he managed to do was aggravate himself. _Hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but I guess there's no way around it._

Bending down, Len placed the blanket back around the girl's shoulders, then reached down to slip one arm under her legs, the other around to her back, and lifted her up off the ground. All things considered, she was pretty light; heavier than a person her size, sure, but considering the fact that she was made out of metal and stuff, he was lucky he could even lift her at all. Not that much trouble.

After making sure she was properly wrapped up in the blanket, Len turned and walked back the short way to the apartment, struggling with the door for only a moment before both he and the unresponsive machine girl disappeared within.

The lobby was empty, thank goodness (no one would be crazy enough to be up at this hour), and Len had to pause only long enough to bump the elevator button with his hip before stepping inside, hitting button to bring them to his room's floor, and continue down the hallway to the door that was his own and seal himself away from the rest of the world like he always did...though this time with company.

Len stepped out of his shoes, and the sight of a second pair by the door already waiting for him forced him to realize why this was a bad idea: he wasn't the only one who lived here. Rin wouldn't be so receptive to the idea of keeping an LE with them, since they had a reputation of schemers and anarchists that followed them from the war, despite the fact that it was years ago. Getting her involved could be trouble.

_One night, _Len told himself, carrying the unresponsive LE girl towards his bedroom; he gave the couch a mildly interested look before continuing, nudging the door shut behind him with his foot. _It's just for one night. Rin's spending the night at a friend's, and she'll never have to know. One night._

Len carefully lowered the blackened girl down onto his bed, disdainfully making note of the fact that he'd probably have to wash the comforters later because of the ash she left behind. The room smelled like smoke now, and Len distantly prayed that the fire alarm wouldn't go off in their sleep and freak everybody out. "There," he said, tucking the girl's blanket in around her so she was comfortable. "How's that?"

Once again, the girl failed to reply, staring blankly up at him like she was watching the ceiling behind him.

"It beats staying outside by yourself, right? I mean, it's not much, but...you know."

No reply, bar a blank stare.

"I was going to sleep on the couch, but...I can stay here, if you want. Loneliness is better with two."

Silence.

A beat passed. "Well, I guess...I guess I'll just stay here with you, then, cuz I wouldn't want for you to be...y'know, lonely, or anything..."

Once again, the girl failed to reply, only watching him. Not exactly the most talkative of guests.

Len sighed, removing his jacket and tossing it to the floor, not really caring where it landed. He turned off the light to his room, then walked back around to the unoccupied side of the bed, laying out across the covers. "Well...good night, I guess," he said awkwardly to the still form next to him. "If you need anything, just...you know, wake me. Alright?" Knowing she wasn't going to answer, Len watched her face for a little while for signs of life - a blink confirmed that she had yet to depart the living - before turning his head, looking up to the ceiling. His sleeve-phone gave a small blip, indicating that the next hour - the second of the morning, specifically - had arrived. _At least it's not Burn Day anymore._

Len didn't anticipate getting any rest. However, whatever forces controlling the night must have detected his emotional weariness and natural grogginess for the time, and he was abruptly ambushed by the darkness that came just before a dream began. Beside him, a silent LE lay motionless for a while before very slowly turning onto her side to face him, watching the silhouette of his chest rise and fall against the dim glass of the balcony doors across the room. It was presumable that sleep eventually claimed both of them.

April Fool's was a strange kind of day.

* * *

**_AN:_**

Okay, let's be honest: who doesn't love the LenxTeto pairing? No, seriously. Say something so I know who you are so I can hunt you down and shove banana bread down your throat. EETS CUTE. LUV EET. DX

Disclaimer: no LE's were harmed in the making of this story.

_Teto: _Except me.

Yes. Except you, Teto.

_Teto: _Review if you love me~! Or else I'll be sad. And then I'll break into your house and beat you with french bread! RAWR!

_Len: _No comment.

Ditto. Just review if you don't want to suffer Teto's wrath, okay? We've got to deal with her enough as it is.

_Teto: _*chucks french bread at computer*

NO, DON'T-

_(-author's note ends-)_


	2. Family Ties

_(Disclaimer disclaimer. HA TO YOU, DISCLAIMERS.)_

_(Also, totally unrelated, but I'm considering ANOTHER story...this one actually a bit more weird. It'd be about Rin and Len, and they're farmers in a world that just got finished with zombie apocalypse, and it's hard living, so everyone needs to make the most of what they have in order to survive. And apparently this goes for the twins farming zombies alongside regular crops and invading neighboring farms, looting the barns, and making off with the bodies to either feed their troops or add them to their ranks. It's pretty zaney. And, it'd all be based off of the "ZombieFarm" app for my iTouch. So that'll be fun. :D)_

_(I'm probably gonna write it anyway, but visit my profile to the poll to tell me what you think, or at least if you'd read it or not. Hit me up with it. :p)_

_(ANYWAY. Back to the story. :3)_

_

* * *

_

April 2nd arrived abruptly for Len, who hadn't realized (until now) that he'd fallen asleep. Gauging his tiredness, he decided that today felt like a Monday and threw an arm over his eyes to block the dim light filtering through the glass of the balcony doors. He needed to get a curtain for that thing. _Rin said something about a sale coming up...what day is it?_

His mind fumbled with the date as the light scent of smoke wafted into his nose, and his memory was jogged as if through an electric chair. The night before flooded back in a tidal wave - Burn Day. The blankets, the LE's, the girl...brought her in...

Len became aware of a presence beside him on his bed, and he turned his head enough to bring his chin in contact with the form he recognized to be the girl from the street, who was now close enough to him that she could rest her head on his shoulder; if she was human, her breath would have tickled his neck. Her carmine-pink hair was dulled a shade of black-maroon from the ash, and the smell of smoke in the air was wafting off of her, causing his nose to crinkle unconsciously. She must have scooted up close to him in her sleep.

While the proximity was enough to be considered awkward, Len saw her relaxed, dirty, cute face as she slept and couldn't help but smile. He reached up to touch one of her drill-pigtails to see if they were real, and the dusty black that came off between his fingers caused him to frown. She was pretty as she was, but she must have looked stunning when she was in good shape. _To think that someone would throw something so pretty into a fire..._

Len shook his head as he realized what he was doing, blaming it on grogginess and sitting up. He stretched a little bit, careful not to disturb her, and distantly wondered if LE's could dream or not. He readjusted her blanket so that she was neatly tucked in, brushed some of the ash off her pillow, and decided that cleaning her up would be a good idea as well. There was a lot of soot to get off her yet.

Speaking of which, Len decided that alongside a cleaning, taking her to a repair shop would be a good idea as well. He was no expert on LE's and knew virtually nothing about them, other than they were fire-resistant, and she needed some expert help. The experience itself would have been terribly traumatic, and while he didn't know if he could fix her mentally, a physical tune-up would be a good place to start. Her one eye couldn't be the only thing damaged on her; even _he_ could tell you that.

The only - and largest - problem was that Len had no clue where to look. Unlike his sister, he was a complete shut-in; he kept to himself and had no one else he could reach out to for information. He didn't dare drag Rin into this, even though she was the only one between them who would have contact with someone who might know what to do, which left his options limited at best. And besides, even if he _did_ manage to find someone, there was still the matter of expenses. He had no idea what an LE repair would cost, and the only source of income he or Rin had was the equivalent of an allowance coming in from their parents with their company, which was barely enough to cover the apartment; the rest was just spare change, which Rin saved up for shopping trips. And...well. Len's deciding he didn't want to be involved in the family business didn't exactly put him on best terms with the rest of the Kagamines. That had been years ago, and it was also the last time he'd spoken to any of his relatives besides his sister.

He really didn't want to call his parents, and it was quite likely the distinguished heads of Kagamine Corporations wanted to hear from him, either. However, the way things were, he didn't really have much of a choice. What else could he do? _I don't even know her name...does she even have one? They had to have given her a name...they had to. Why wouldn't they name her?_

Then again, why would they burn her?

Len shook his head to free it of such thoughts, running a hand through his messy blonde hair as he turned to face the sleeping girl. She was wrapped up in her black-plaid blanket, so he had to pull a corner back, but he found it easily: her badge, shaped like the trademark UTAU symbol pinned to her somewhat wilted leather mini-dress. He carefully un-pinned it, then took it to the bathroom to put it under the faucet and wash it off. It was practically caked with soot, and the badge itself was dull from the fire damage, but a little observation revealed that it had the word "Teto" enscribed near the bottom, right next to her manufacturing date: 0401. April 1st.

It was then that Len realized just how young that drill-haired girl on his bed really was. _She's not even a full day old yet. She's just a child. Yesterday was her birthday, and she got to spend it by being burned alive._

And he thought _his_ birthdays were lame.

Len shook his head and sighed, walking back to the sleeping girl - _Teto,_ he corrected himself; _Her name's Teto_ - to set the badge on the bedside table, looking her over once again as she slept. He was stalling, he knew; he already knew what he had to do. He just really, really didn't want to. He always figured he'd have to eventually, though he hoped it'd be sooner rather than later. Or ever.

He knew he had to, but Len still couldn't bring himself to turn on the sleevephone and dial. Scratching at the back of his head, Len tried to reason with himself. _You can put up with them for a little while,_ he thought. _Maybe they'll just ignore it. Or maybe they'll actually decide to give half a damn._

Len snorted at the thought. He'd never liked his parents much, and they'd never really acted like they cared much about him. As soon as he'd told his father that he wouldn't work for the family business...well. They'd practically disowned him. Or excommunicated, rather, considering how zealous the family was and how often he compared it to a church rather than a business. You'd think Rin had sold her soul to the devil when she decided to go with him, though she did it out of rebellion rather than genuine distaste of the profession and its field. He didn't really know why he didn't like the company...maybe it was his ethics getting in his face. Or the fact that they worked with LE manufacturing and didn't like how they were handled - like furniture instead of people. Heck, maybe the technical field just wasn't for him. Either way, he'd gone his separate ways from the family, and they'd been pleased to show him to the door. Non-cult-I-mean-business members didn't belong, apparently.

_For Teto,_ he concluded reluctantly, looking gruelingly at his sleeve-phone's green, flexible screen. He tapped it to activate it, then scrolled to the contact at the bottom of the list; the one whose last call date was in 2103 - his mother's last unsuccessful attempt at guilt-tripping him back into the business. _It's for Teto._

He pushed the "call" button, brought his headset's mic down in front of his lips, and prepared to face the music.

Eventually (and yet still too soon), an artificially pleasant voice answered and greeted, "Hello, this is the Kagamine residence. There are no conferences scheduled for today. Is this call on an appointment?"

Len blinked. _When did they get a secretary for their own house?_ Disregarding that, he moved on. "Yes, uh...I'd like to speak to...Mr. and Mrs. Kagamine, please." _Duh, why else would I have called?_ "And...no, I don't have an appointment."

"I'm sorry, sir, Mr. and Mrs. Kagamine have requested that all calls be scheduled before being forwarded due to schedule constraints. Is this regarding a familial matter?"

Len sighed. "Yes, it's...familial."

"Alrighty then, sir. I just need your name to check the reference charts here, and-"

At this point there was commotion in the background, followed by someone berating the secretary-lady for her stiff officialness. Before the other woman could protest, there was a burst of static that cleared out with a click - likely the secretary's headphones being unplugged and another set replacing it - before another woman began speaking. "I'm sorry, Luka darling, Betty's always just being so-"

Meiko Kagamine was silenced when a male cleared his throat, where she realized perhaps maybe it wasn't who she thought she was talking to. "Hey," Len said, feeling very much put on the spot. "It's...it's me, mom. Len."

There was silence on the other end before Meiko replied "Oh," as the situation dawned on her. She was obviously quite surprised. "Oh. Well then, uh...I'm guessing you want something?"

Straight to business, then. Good; Len didn't feel like chatting. "Okay, look. I need to ask you and dad a favor." He paused. "...kind of a big one."

Meiko replied "Uh-huh" in a "Yeah, I figured as much" kind of way; Len could feel her eyes narrowing through the phone. "Let me guess: you're in some kind of trouble?" That was his mother, alright; always having so much faith in him.

"No, no," he said quickly, gesticulating into the air. "No, not- nothing like..." He paused and let his gaze fall on Teto laying on his bed, double-checking to keep his voice in check. "...listen, I'm in a...a bit of a bind." He stopped to throw in "Not the illegal kind," then continued on. "I've...got this LE. She's not registered, officially, but...I need someone who can do handle repairs, and...can...do it quietly. You know?"

The way Len saw it, Teto technically wasn't supposed to be alive right now. If the people who built her were malicious enough to burn her once, they'd definitely do it twice. If they found out she survived Burn Day, any number of people - the burners themselves, or just someone feeling especially loyal to the cause - could come after her. It might just be him being paranoid, but regardless, the lower the profile this was kept in, the better. At the very least, he'd be more comfortable with less people involved.

"LE repair, huh," Meiko mused, pausing for a moment to consider things. "Well, it's not our specialty, but we could always say you've got a warranty on it. I suppose we could manage something..."

Len shook his head, saying "No good," when he remembered she couldn't see him. "She's not a standard model - she's UTAU, mom. Isn't that higher up than the regular TNX-4 type?"

"Oh, it's not that far off. You'd be surprised how much expansion the market's done in your _absence."_

Len scowled; of course she just _had_ to point that out for him, didn't she? "Maybe. But I'd...I'd really like to go through...you know...someone else?" He floundered when he realized what he must sound like. "I-I mean, th-you never know who's going through the records, and- I just want to keep it quiet, you know? Like, a small little shop. Low-key. Not, like, a big conveyor-belt plant. Too unstable." _And inhumane,_ he thought, but didn't say aloud. He was sure his mother wouldn't like to hear that he'd prefer to send an LE to someone who treated them more personally than the average blender or microwave oven. Just didn't sound good.

As it was, though, the request still had ground to not sound good. "Uh-huh." The scowl was clear in her voice. "I think your father ought to hear about this."

"Wait, you don't need to-" Len swore as a puff of static through his headset indicated his mother had disconnected her own headset and was likely already up and getting his father. _Dammit, I was hoping I'd only have to deal with one of them. But that'd make it easy, wouldn't it?_

Len sighed, looking over at Teto as he waited to be reconnected. He sat down on the bed next to her as she slept, glancing at his sleevephone's clock; 11:05. She'd been out a while...but then again, a full day involving being burned alive and sitting out by herself in a dark street might be a bit exhausting, so perhaps it was normal. She had gone to bed at two, so that was...what, nine hours? Not too bad. He brushed absently at her bangs, lightly dusting some of the black powder from it, though it was pretty much a lost cause. No matter what, she needed a good, thorough cleaning. _How do I do that, anyway? If she's damaged, water might short her out. Can LE's take a bath?_

Before he could follow that train of thought, a pop of static resounded through his headset's earphones, causing him to rise up reflexively. He took a few steps away from Teto before he spoke. "Dad?"

There was a pause before a voice of Len's father, Kaito, replied. "...Len."

An awkward silence followed. Necessity compelled Len to break it. "Dad, I...I need a favor."

"So I've heard. LE troubles...never thought you of all people would buy one. Not exactly practice of what you preach."

Len's eye twitched, and he tactly chose not to reply.

There was another pause before Kaito chuckled humorlessly to himself. "My own son, asking where he can take his business..."

"It's not like that, dad," he insisted. "I just want to...keep the scale down, you know? Keep things smaller."

"If it's a matter of money..."

"It's not. I mean...it is, but that's not why."

"I don't suppose it's because you don't trust your own family..?"

"No!" He was searching for things now. "It- the setting. I don't think she can take the setting."

"I assure you that we can handle it properly."

"I'm sure you can," Len said, patience waning. "But that kind of setting, we- _she_ can't handle it. She's not ready for a factory; I want to take her somewhere where it's...personal. The mechanic and her; one on one. I want to _be there_ while they're working."

"The maintenance floors are open for guests to observe. Bring her in and you can be there all you want. Unless you're sure Kagamine Corporations isn't up to your standards..."

Len clenched his fist and jaw, then released them both. "I think," he said, slowly and patiently, "that it would be better if this could be done in a more quiet setting."

The pause was the audio-equivalent of an arched eyebrow. "'Quiet?'"

"Quiet. Because..." Len stopped himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look. It's not personal, alright? Stop trying to make it sound like it is. It's not. I just need this to work. I haven't bugged you guys about anything for almost seven years, dad, so the- can I just get you guys to do this for me...you know, without questioning it? Just this once? Please?" He looked over to the sleeping form of Teto again, biting the inside of his cheek. "I _need_ this to work, dad. I'm begging."

A silence stretched out on the other end as Kaito gave it some thought. "It really must be important," his father mused thoughtfully, "calling us up like this."

"We both know I wouldn't have called if it wasn't."

Kaito chuckled dryly. "No, I suppose you wouldn't..." Another long pause ensured, during which time Len anxiously chewed on the inside of his cheek. When his father spoke again, his tone was stern. "Alright then. Fine. Have it your way. I just hope you know that neither your mother nor I have much time on our hands, and that goes for court hearings. Do you understand me?"

Such a message could be taken a number of ways, but Len guessed it was meant in the gruffest and coldest way possible. "Got it," he replied neutrally. Whatever he said - he didn't care. He just needed this to work out.

There was another pause for a minute or two as Kaito referred to his desk. When he returned, he had an address and a name of a company under the alias "Megpoid Repairs" that worked specifically in LE repair and modification. According to their records, the shop was just that - a shop - and had undergone almost zero expansion as far as scale, bar reaching out to more quality shipping and hardware companies. The shop was skyside, but was unusually small for its location and line of work and that a disproportionate amount of business would often go there for anything regarding LE repair or maintenance over Kagamine Corporations, the actual manufacturer. This either meant quality or under-the-table deals, though the latter hadn't been confirmed yet. He went on to say that several of his "sources" said that the owner, Megan Poid, personally oversaw and handled every repair herself, and that she and one other person were the only people who worked there.

When asked about these "sources" of his, Kaito replied simply with that they were "quite reliable." Len left it at that; he'd rather not know what his little "family business" was doing without him. He didn't want to get involved in political games - he just wanted to see Teto fixed.

When all was said and done and Len had double-checked the address he'd been given, Kaito gave one last monologue advertising Kagamine Corporations before the conversation finally (and somewhat abruptly) ended. Len yanked off his headset, dropped it on the livingroom table, flopped onto the couch, and heaved a sigh. Thank _god_ that was over. _I thought he was going to run me through his sale's pitch, for a minute...he'd have kept me on the line all day._

After the ridiculous mental stress brought on by a phone call with his parents, Len felt like he needed to just fall back asleep for a week or two. But of course, things were never that easy. So instead he got up and went out to the kitchen to get an apple, then went out onto the balcony to eat it. He took a crunching bite out of the green-red fruit in his hand, leaned against the rail with his elbows, and sighed.

Every time he stepped onto his balcony, Len's mind started to wander as he idly took in the (generally unchanging) sights. The sun was straight up into the sky, and even though the buildings still stood up to cast a shade over the streets in their shadows, there was still a bit of warmth that came down to give him a relaxing rise in temperature as the illumination lit his skin. The buildings were stale and gray, bridges several levels above connecting together like a spider's web to create an airborne version of the streets without the chill of the shadows on the ground, the shuttles that leapfrogged from building to building across thin, barely visible rails that formed fine black cracks against the flawless sky...and, of course, there was the slot of skyline you could see between two buildings that gave you a somewhat impressive view of New Chicago. The best you could get, if you didn't want to jump up a couple of stories and pay a few hundred more dollars wherever it is you decided to stay.

He refused, however, to peer down into the streets, where LE corpses surely remained as lumps shaped like people beneath plain white sheets and cheap blankets. Some were uncovered and violated while others had been forced to the side so people could pass them by as if nothing could be more natural. Like the cover of night was the only time they could stop to take any pride out of their handiwork. They could only enjoy what they've done when they didn't have to look at it clearly.

There was war, there was murder, and there was Burn Day. Len could bring himself to overlook all but the last.

He ripped a chunk out of his apple and looked everywhere but down.

Seeing an active, living LE threw the world into a sharp contrast. Keeping his eyes fixed above rooftops between two particularly tall skyscrapers, Len wondered if such thoughts would fade after April. Maybe they would at least become less painful after the date got farther and farther away - it usually worked that way. The other years had worked that way. But those had been different...less personal. This time, he actually saw what could be left over from the burnings, and it would be harder to forget as long as he had a reminder. _And I don't suppose she'll be leaving anytime soon,_ he mused, taking a less aggressive bite from his apple. _At least, not until she's ready...I can't just throw her into the world. They'd eat her alive out there. They already tried once._

Len sighed, looking up at the narrow canals of blue in the sky, divided into segments by bridges between building overhead._I guess she's going to be around a while, huh?_

If the sky could answer, Len figured it'd probably agree.

Once he'd reached the core of his apple, Len swallowed his mouthful and pulled back his arm before a thought occurred to him and he froze. Usually whenever he ate an apple on the balcony, he threw the core down into the streets below out of habit. But now, the possibility that he might end up hitting one of the LE bodies down there - or worse: an LE that wasn't dead yet - made him pause and retract his arm, looking at the scrap thoughtfully. The deceased were receiving enough desecration as it was; they didn't need any more.

Instead, Len chucked it to the side and landed it on the balcony of one of his neighbors. The guy deserved it; he always had his music up too loud.

Len remained where he was on the balcony, staring at the slot of skyline he'd been alotted, slowly becoming aware of a peculiar noise that was steadily becoming louder. It was hazy-sounding, as if clouded with an audible fog providing interference, sounding a bit like meowing cat, though it sounded a bit distressed. There was plenty of static, too...perhaps a show on TV somewhere? Judging by its origin behind him, Len guessed maybe he'd left the TV on. Except that he hadn't watched TV in ages and hadn't turned it on himself. Rin wasn't home, either. And he doubted that it-

Realization made Len's eyes widen, and he whirled around with an exclamation of "Teto!"

His outcry effectively silenced the noise, and a red-pink and milky white eye snapped over to the source of the declaration. Her distraught expression breathed of desperation, as did the way she zealously began grasping for him with more airy, static-laiden whimpers, arms outstretched and hands clenching and unclenchimg rapidly, as if attempting to close the distance between them by sheer force of will. She didn't dare move from her spot on the bed, though her desperation was apparent regardless.

Concern and worry propelled Len from his balcony to the soot-caked LE in a heartbeat. Her hands grappled handfuls of his shirt, pulling him towards her, and he put his hands on her frail shoulders as her whimpers evolved into a full-fledged panic attack. "Teto! Teto, just...calm down, okay? Calm down. Easy, easy...come on, calm down for me here. It's okay."

Teto silenced her whimpering, though she continued to grip at him with an air of neediness, eventually replacing her hold on his shirt with his arm when he sat down beside her. Both her eyes were wide, and she stared at nothing in particular as she gripped his arm like a lifeline, scooting closer so she was pressing into his side. Despite how little time she had known him, Len appeared to be playing a part akin to Teto's security blanket.

_Separation anxiety,_ Len mused, licking his lips as he watched her drill pigtails twitch occasionally from her shivers. _Understandable, I guess...I gotta remember she's just a little kid. She was just born yesterday...poor girl. _"It's okay, Teto. I wouldn't just up and leave you by yourself. That'd be so mean of me."

Teto didn't reply, removing her hold on his arm just long enough to wipe at her eyes with her arm before grappling him again like he might try and get away. It wasn't clear at first why she'd done that, but a single dribble of brown-black liquid oozing down her cheek, leaving a trail from where it had spilled past the limits of her eyelid, indicated the cause.

Len felt a little quiver in his chest, and instinctively he reached over to wipe the ash-dirtied drip away, taking a little bit of black away with it where it'd anchored to his fingertip. "It's okay," he repeated, tone more gentle and soothing. "Everything's okay, Teto. It's alright...here." He lightly pulled his arm from out of her grip, which she reluctantly allowed, only to receive an arm around her shoulders. "There. Better?"

The girl wasted no time in making herself comfortable, pressing her face into his shoulder as her hands went back to taking handfuls of his shirt, albeit with less desperation. There she nodded a little, and her pigtails bobbled in mirror of the gesture to agree with her. He didn't see her reaching back, but the next thing he knew she had a bundle of black and pale pink bunched up in her lap, taking his place as something to fill her hands with.

_Just like a child. _Really, he oughtn't be so surprised with the behavior; she was, after all, only just born. Children tended to cling to things like blankets, like he did with a stuffed toy he barely remembered. _Didn't I read somewhere that touch is necessary for proper development? I wonder if it applies to LE's...well, whatever it is, she's calming down. That's good...I gotta make sure I tell her where I'm going in case I need to leave the room so she doesn't have a heart attack. _"Are you okay now?"

With a dry sniffle, Teto nodded again, never removing her face from his shirt, like she was trying to bury herself in it.

"Just a little scared?"

Teto nodded again, unconsciously scooting closer to the blonde holding her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just out on the balcony there...did you think I was gone?"

Teto noddde tersely, making another scoot towards him.

"...easy. You're gonna push me right off the bed."

Teto shied back as if in horror, only to be pulled lightly back by Len, who was chuckling lightly. Like a contagious disease, Teto's lips twitched upward in a smile, and she looked up at him not like she would a total stranger, but like she'd known him her whole life. Which, in a way, he might just have. How old was she, anyway? 12 hours? Not even? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she'd known him for as long as she remembered, if the fire was traumatic enough to force back memories or something.

_Even if I get her fixed, she's going to need a lot of counseling...Burn Day probably messed her up pretty bad._

Len sighed after a second, looking back down to the dainty little LE beside him, who returned his gaze with a shy smile. "Well, it's a little late for intro's, but I'm Leonard Kagamine...just Len, though. Leonard's too...blah." He made a face one might give a steaming mound of pickled spinach, and she let out a giggle...or at least, he supposed she would have normally, though the noise she emitted sounded more like a metallic cough. "...hey. Is your voice damaged? It sounds kinda...static-y."

The girl's expression became one of slightly shame and perhaps even guilt, looking down into her lap before she dared to nod. She fingered the edge of one of the corners of the blanket, which was her decided favorite, with an air of anxiety. Being damaged apparently held an unpleasant connotation.

"Don't worry about it. We'll get you fixed up as good as new, and then you'll be fine. Okay?"

She peeked up another shy look to him, nodding a little with a tiny smile, seeing as she couldn't speak. It was hard to tell, but Len figured that beneath her makeup of soot and ash, she was probably blushing. Or at least, he figured she might, if she was human. She fit the bill so well, it was hard not to picture her like the giggly teenage girl she struck him as. Did those pigtails and their color - reddish-color, even through the black - seem like something a rebellious teenage girl would wear? He reminded her of Rin, a little bit, except she smiled more, was more shy, and wasn't OCD about her hair's "natural color." At least she wouldn't have to build up an immunity to some of the treatments Rin put her hair under; some of those things on the labels sounded toxic.

A corner of Len's mouth tugged up in a smile, and he let his arm fall back to his side, though she remained scooted up close against him. He didn't mind; it fit her character. She was cute. "I saw your name badge-thing...it's Teto, right?"

Teto nodded, pigtails agreeing with her.

"Cool. So, uh...yeah. This is my place, and...I hope you don't mind staying a little while? At least until you get fixed up..." Len's voice trailed off, namely at the way she so vigorously nodded her head, and he guessed it wasn't a "yes, I mind" and she instead meant "yes, let me stay! I want to stay!" Her expression practically screamed it; he could see it in her eyes, even if one of them was clouded with creamy gray. "...hehe. I guess that settles that, then."

Teto tried her best to giggle, ignoring the scratchy choke that came out and continuing to smile. Len couldn't help but smile back, both at the cuteness she portrayed, how he was glad she wasn't a zombie like last night, and the warm, fulfilling feeling that came with doing something good for someone who deserved it. He wasn't sure why, really, but he liked this girl. Whether it was because she'd been wronged or because of the way her innocence remained intact through it, he felt inclined to help her. And really, what else was there to do? He couldn't just kick her back out again. That would be just plain wrong. She was vulnerable, needed someone to help her, couldn't look after herself...just like a child. A cute, innocent little child. Who wouldn't want to help a little girl with no home that needed a friend?

Not quite sure what to think of the smile he couldn't quite seem to shake, Len decided just to go with it and rose up off the bed, offering his hand to Teto. "C'mon. Let's go get you cleaned up."

Teto's smile mirrored his own. With a joyful spring, Teto was up off the bed with her hand snug in Len's, obediently following him as he led her away to the bathroom to get the black gunk off her. In a little way, Len really had just become her only parent.

* * *

**_AN:_**

TEH CUTE. It is cute. 3

I love this. It's so squishy and fluffy and *squee*

Anyway. I forgot to mention it before, but this is based off of a roleplay I did with a friend once before he vanished off the face of the earth (for a little while, anyway). I couldn't stand to see it just sit there, and the next thing I knew I was at the keyboard, typing out replies for the both of us on what could be happening. Then I just fused it into one perspective, and BAM: instant fanfiction. Just ad chapters, dividers, and disclaimers. Because unfortunately, cute little Teto cannot be mine. D:

...at least, not _legally... _*scheming face*

_Teto: _*sweatdrops* Uh, you're creeping me out...

_Len: _I think maybe it'd be smart to end the chapter here so we can keep the rating down to 'T'...

Excellent point, Len-Len! I shall continue my diabolical plans off-screen...Teto! Prepare to be loli-napped!

_Teto: _Wait, wha-

* * *

_-author's note ends-  
_


End file.
